Super Crane Arrives in New York

The “I Lift NY” floating super crane arrived at the Tappan Zee Bridge this week and yesterday had to do the limbo to travel to the other side of the bridge. The crane made its way up the Hudson River from Jersey City on Monday after completing its journey from San Francisco through the Panama Canal earlier this month. Around 5 pm yesterday, a tugboat helped guide the crane north underneath the existing bridge and to the location where the new bridge is currently under construction. Workers on site prepared for the crane's arrival by removing the existing bridge’s navigation light from under the bridge to give the crane a little more clearance. The barge carrying the crane was also filled with water to make it ride lower in the water. The crane was able to squeeze under the existing bridge without any problems and will now be anchored on the other side for the next couple of years. It uses special steel anchors, called spuds that are planted in the river bottom to keep from moving.

The crane will be used to lift material for the new bridge into place. Starting in 2017, it will also be used to dismantle the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. The super crane is expected to save the project over $1 billion. Its 1,900 ton capacity makes it one of the strongest floating cranes in the world, and as a frame of reference, it could lift something weighing 12 times the weight of the statue of liberty. The crane was previously used on the Bay Bridge project. The crane was fitted with new wire rope, was inspected to make sure it was ready to move 1,000 ton modules for the Tappan Zee Bridge. "It is in working condition," reports Dan Bell, construction manager for Tappan Zee Constructors LLC. He says the crane was equipped with fresh, 1-7/8-in.diameter main hoisting rope - in all 17,000 ft of it - reeved in 24 parts of line. Crews performed a 538-tonne load test on the main hoist in August by picking up a barge filled with water. The next stop for the crane after the completion of the Tappan Zee project has not yet been determined.